Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson, (1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President

Thomas Jefferson Quote

“No man will labor for himself who can make another labor for him.”

Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
~ Thomas Jefferson

Notes on Virginia

Ratings and Comments


Bob Leavitt, Charlotte, VT

There's more pride in doing one's work than in hiring one to do it. The secret is to be able to match the work with the man: if you can hammer and saw, why pay someone else to do so ?

Tommy must be "onto something" ( he 'always' is ), but what ?

bruski, naples FL

Bring in the illegal aliens!

We need them to do "the work Americans don't want to do!"

Well said Mr. Bush.

Thank you for opening our borders and dispensing with rule of law.

Semper Fi.

Robert Edwards, Somewhere in Europe

The word "make" ruins the quote....

Mike, Norwalk

Amerika is fulfilling Jefferson's statement. When I built and ran my business, growing it sufficiently to need more labors, I paid, by far, the highest wages in the industry along with providing the best insurance available. Finding labor that was equal to the task was an endeavor in and of itself. I always put in more hours and worked as hard or harder than any of the people that worked with me. Those that worked with me over the years do not fall within Jefferson's statement.

bruski of naples FL, by what standard and to whom are you calling illegal aliens. The de jure States united's Constitution gave no authority to the federal government to address immigration in any way, shape or form. Addressing aliens entering this country was left to the States. To my knowledge, no State has passed any immigration law making aliens legal or illegal. The federal government was given the authority to address citizenship but, that in no way flows over to immigration. It is socialism's dole, governmental beneficial ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, banking and other fiscal / securities enforced policies and taxation that are causing the increasing melt down of the economy, not the immigrants. The only law that has been dispensed with is the Constitutional law.

E Archer, NYC

Mike is on a roll today! Excellent point! Perhaps the quote in context would help a bit. I happily labor for myself because I have no desire to dictate the actions of another. After all, 2 heads are better than one -- why should one head do the thinking of 10 heads? All this talk about 'jobs,' we need more 'jobs' -- what kind of jobs? Jobs in which people agree to take orders in exchange for pay -- as long as they do what they are told to do, that is all that matters. This is a slave mentality. If these are the 'jobs' that are replacing industry and innovation, and if education is merely to prepare 'workers' for their place, do we really need these kind of jobs? What will be the result of training a nation of subservient workers?

With 95 million Americans without a 'job', what kind of transformation is occurring? I imagine there are plenty who are not waiting for orders and are using their brains to figure out what they can contribute in goods and services.

The shift in consciousness from being at the effect of life and being in charge of it is what will transform a country of serfs into a country of 'noble laborers' (Mike's phrase, but it says it all). ;-)

Ronw13, Yachats Or

A Representative Agrarian. Thomas Jefferson, and a follower of Physiocracy. ( Government of nature ). Farmers are the most valued citizens and truest republicans. Please get the picture, people are returning to the soil. Being more agrarian in nature. Whether one must pay property tax or not. ( The Law of Oppression, " No man will labor for himself who can [ Make ] another labor for him." ) enslavement. As well as the farmers this can be said of the builders who came from the farm. independent, in close contact with nature and, through nature a closer relationship with God. The Philosophy of Agrarianism. There is a positive spiritual good, acquiring virtues of honor, manliness, self reliance, courage, moral integrity, and hospitality. The quote is spot on !!

abby
  • Reply
abby    10/6/22

The key word here is make...that is force...in a free nation when a person expects freedom, that person must be willing to give freedom to others. Sadly, in America today, our leaders are making us work so that their unconstitutional debts are paid for generations to come...they must work. The people in office today have the idea that Americans owe the world a living at the expense of their own. Jefferson was correct...

Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown

I wholeheartedly reject this quote until further societal alterations simply because I want something done correctly.

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